The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for occupying the attention of young children and more particularly, to amusement devices having a cloth cover or housing disposed about a core.
A variety of methods and apparatus have been devised to occupy the attention of infants and/or contribute to their development. In general, such methods and apparatus tend to place infants in contact with objects in the physical world and/or stimulate one or more of their five senses in a manner that is both safe and entertaining. For example, a pacifier accommodates an infant""s desire or instinct to suck; a rattle makes noise in response to movement; and a stuffed toy is pleasant to touch. These sorts of devices are preferably designed to be easily grasped by an infant, but such is not always the case.
An example of one such amusement device which is designed to be relatively easily grasped is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,687. The patented toy has a plurality of cloth tags disposed about the surface of a ball, and the patent discusses the appeal of such tags to infants. However, one shortcoming of the patented toy is that it is relatively costly to manufacture. In particular, both the acquisition of the tags and the labor required to secure them in place on the ball add significantly to the cost of manufacturing the ball. Moreover, some people are inclined to remove manufacturers"" tags from baby toys as a safety precaution, although the inventor of both the present invention and the patented toy does not share this predisposition against such tags. In any event, a need exists for amusement devices which are both easy for an infant to grasp and relatively less expensive to manufacture and/or less susceptible to the concerns of safety-conscious parents.
One aspect of the present invention is to dispose a core within a cloth housing in such a manner that first peripherally distributed portions of the cloth housing and the core are relatively nearer to one another, and second peripherally distributed portions of the cloth housing and the core are relatively farther from one another. The relatively distal, second portions of the cloth housing provide easily grasped xe2x80x9chandlesxe2x80x9d disposed about the perimeter of the housing. Since the handles are integral portions of the housing itself they need not be independently acquired and/or connected to the housing.
One way to provide such handles is to dispose a cloth housing which is predisposed to assume a first discrete geometrical shape, about a core which is predisposed to form a second discrete geometrical shape. For example, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a spherical foam core disposed within a pyramidal cloth housing. The spherical core occupies the center of the cloth pyramid but does not extend into any of the corners of the pyramid. In other words, the center of each of the pyramid sides is proximate a discrete portion of the core surface, while the corners of the pyramid are relatively distant from the core. The integral and flexible corner portions not only provide handles which are relatively easy for a young child to grasp, but also cooperate with the core to define gaps suitable for housing amusing objects, such as crinkle paper, bells, beads, etc.
The foregoing embodiment lends itself to various sorts of modifications. For example, the foam core may be replaced by a stuffed member, an inflated member, a molded member, or any other suitable core member; the sides of the cloth housing may be provided with one or more holes which align with one or more xe2x80x9coversizedxe2x80x9d portions of the core and allow the latter to protrude through the former; and/or the shapes of the first member and/or the second member may be altered. For example, a spherical core may be disposed within a cubical cloth housing; or a cubical core may be disposed within a spherical cloth housing.
Another aspect of the present invention is to interconnect two or more xe2x80x9cgappedxe2x80x9d portions or handles disposed about the perimeter of a toy. For example, a string may be inserted through the core and interconnected between two diametrically opposite ends of a football-shaped cloth housing. Either of the connected corners may be pulled by hand to a relatively extended position and then subsequently pulled by string to a relatively retracted position (as if by magic from the perspective of a young child). The string is accessible and movable, yet entirely shrouded by the cloth housing and thus, kept out of harm""s way.
Another aspect of the present invention is to house a first member, having a first shape and some sort of irregularities disposed about its perimeter, within a second member, having a second, comparable shape. For example, another embodiment of the present invention includes a ball with whiskers disposed within a spherical cloth housing of comparable diameter. A representative sample of such a ball is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,529 to Stillinger. The provision of a flexible cloth housing about numerous resilient bristles or whiskers accommodates grasping and squeezing of the toy and yet, prevents the bristles from posing any sort of hazard to young children.
Yet another embodiment includes a cloth housing disposed about a core with amusing objects, such as beads, bell, rings, etc. secured to the core surface and/or simply disposed between the core surface and the cloth housing. The cloth housing allows sensory interaction with the objects, yet prevents the objects from posing any sort of hazard to young children. Still another embodiment of includes a cloth housing disposed about a molded core having deformations formed in its outer surface. The cloth housing provides a soft cover, and yet, the deformations may nonetheless by felt through the cloth housing.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to house a first member or core within a relatively larger second member or housing. For example, another embodiment of the present invention includes a spherical foam core, having a first diameter, disposed within a spherical cloth housing, having a second, relatively greater diameter. The xe2x80x9cloose-fittingxe2x80x9d housing is relatively easy to grasp by a young child. This aspect of the present invention is applicable to many of the foregoing embodiments, as well. Alternatively, by using a stuffed ball for the core, one can sew or otherwise secure portions of the housing to portions of the core, thereby creating xe2x80x9cgappedxe2x80x9d portions and/or compartments. In any case, one or more amusing objects may be captured between the housing and the core and either secured in place or free to move relative thereto. Also, the oversized housing may be constructed in such a manner that it converts between a loose-fitting configuration and a snug-fitting configuration and/or provides a pocket on the exterior of the toy.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to house a plurality of members within a cloth housing. For example, another embodiment of the present invention includes a cloth housing secured about eight table tennis balls. The light weight of the balls, their hollow construction, and their relatively low friction, outer surfaces all contribute to make the table tennis balls a desirable xe2x80x9ccorexe2x80x9d material. This embodiment lends itself to various sorts of modifications, as well. For example, the housing may be disposed about different sizes of balls and/or relatively smaller beads, buttons, and the like.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide a selectively removable outer cloth housing. For example, an opening in the housing may be sufficient in size to allow passage of the core or other contents, and the opening may be selectively closed by means of buttons, hook and loop fasteners, zippers, or other suitable closures. Additional embodiments and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the more detailed description that follows.